Disasters can strike anytime, anyplace. Some locations are more susceptible than others and what is likely to occur varies greatly from place to place. If you live in southern California, you're probably used to earthquakes. Mid-west folks live with tornadoes. East and gulf coast areas suffer from hurricanes. Wildfires plague many states and winter storms are potential problems throughout most of the northern climes. Fires, floods, and chemical spills can occur anywhere. If you live anywhere near a rail line, freeway, or major highway there are probably hazardous loads traveling close enough to require you to evacuate if there is an accident. I have personally had to live with floods, wildfires, tornoadoes, and earthquakes.
What does RVing and camping have to do with disasters? Well, other than the fact that some outings might be described as disasters (hopefully very few), your RV can be used as a Disaster Recovery Vehicle and all your camping skills and equipment could be life-saving and at the very least, may add a lot of comfort and convenience to any disaster survival/recovery situation you might find yourself in.
RVs make very good disaster recovery vehicles, especially if you are able to keep them fully stocked and ready to use. Think about it. A motorhome or trailer provides shelter, cooking, sleeping, and sanitation facilities. Properly stocked it becomes a first aid station. It could even become you bug out vehicle if you have to evacuate your home. If your residence is damaged in an emergency situation you could temporarily live in your tent. Not only might you be more comfortable and private than in a Red Cross shelter set up in a local school or church, but you'll be where you may be able to protect your belongings from looters and possibly have access to things as you need them. If a disaster forces you to evacuate your home, having an RV to move into will greatly simplify your evacuation and improve your comfort until it is safe to return to your residence. A chlorine gas cloud once forced us to evacuate our suburban home in southern California. We drove our motorhome to a church parking lot outside the evacuation area and were quite comfortable as we waited for the "all clear" to return home, far more comfortable than the dozens of strangers crammed into the church gym.
Using a boat as a disaster recovery vehicle may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it may be worth considering. If you have any kind of boat with a cabin and it is stored where you have access to it in a disaster, it might give you a fairly comfortable base to protect you from the elements and provide basic creature comforts. It occurred to me that our sailboat, moored safely out of reach of the Holiday Farm Fire on the McKenzie River could have been our only refuge had our home and RV stored there been consumed by the flames. Fortunately we were 3 miles up river and up wind of the start of the fire and the winds took the fire miles in the other direction, sparing our home -- but having evacuated, it was about a week before we could even find out if our home survived.
Having good camping skills can serve you well in an emergency. It is generally understood that professional emergency services (fire, police, ambulance, hospital) will be inoperable or overwhelmed for at least 1-3 days and quite likely up to 2 weeks following a major local disaster. Some scenarios say it could be months before a return to normal. During that time you will be on your own. Being able to take care of yourself without utilities could mean the difference between surviving comfortably and suffering. Camp cooking and knowing how to take care of sanitation needs will be essential skills following a disaster. First aid and even more advanced medical skills could be life-saving in a disaster situation. My wife and I serve on our volunteer fire department and are pursuing training as Emergency Medical Responders. Depending on the nature and extent of the emergency, first responders and doctors and hospitals may be inoperative for days or weeks. Remember, YOU are the only first responder you can really count on.
For your RV or camping equipment to be effective in an emergency it will have to be accessible and be stored where it is fairly safe from damage that would render it unusable. It must also be ready to use. Empty propane tanks or having no fuel for your camp stove will quickly make your RV or camp stove useless. Inoperable or damaged equipment may be more of a liability than an asset, so keep everything in good shape. You don't want to pull out your trusty Coleman stove in a disaster only to find the fuel tank has sprung a leak, the pump is worn out, or the generator needs to be replaced.
We were about the only house our our block with consistently functioning refrigerator and television for a day or two following the 1994 Northridge earthquake in southern California. In addition to using our RV facilities, I ran an extension cord into the house to keep our residential fridge running during the day so we didn't loose any of the food stored therein. It stayed cold enough overnight without power so we didn't have to worry about bothering the neighbors by running the generator during quiet hours. ON another occasion, we had to evacuate when our neighborhood was threatened by a poisonous chlorine gas cloud. A fork lift had knocked the valve off a large chlorine tank in a local supply yard and the whole west end of our city was evacuated. It happened when I was at work 50 miles away but my wife had the presence of mind to use the motorhome for evacuation so we weren't stuck in some Red Cross shelter with hundreds of other noisy and otherwise obnoxious people. More recently we were in a Level 3 evacuation zone ("Get Out Now!") for the Holiday Farm fire in the McKenzie River valley in Oregon. Having an emergency generator allowed me to run lights, heaters, refrigerators and the microwave oven during the 2 weeks we were without power following the fire.
Emergency supplies should be included in your RV and camping provisions. Keep your first aid kits up to date. You may want to augment your camping first aid kit with additional supplies you might need in a disaster. Try to have at least 3 days worth of non-perishable foods. If you are not subject to freezing winter weather, keep your RV fresh water tank full. Tent campers and folks who do live in cold climates should store water indoors for emergency use. You need 2-3 gallons per person per day, or 9 gallons per person to give you a 3-day emergency buffer. Keep extra clothing in your RV or with your camping gear or have a "grab and go" bag prepared in case you have to evacuate. Normally you'll have 40-50 gallons of water in your hot water heater you can drain off for drinking and cooking. And unless you put those blue tablets in your toilet tank you have close to another 5 gallons of fresh water there -- if you don't flush it! If the sewer system hasn't been damaged you could refill the toilet tank with water from showers or washing dishes or non-potable water from streams, ditches, or even puddles.
Pets and livestock are often forgotten when making an emergency preparedness plan. But given how much a part of our families and our lives our pets often become, they should be included. For small household pets, have a bag or case of food set aside with your own emergency supplies. For livestock, try to maintain at least a couple of weeks worth of food on hand and have a plan for getting water if your normal water supply is interrupted. You should acclimate your household pets to your RV so they won't be frantic if you suddenly move them into your rolling home. Take them along on a camping trip or two or spend a weekend or two driveway camping so they get used to their temporary home. Know where and how you'll transport livestock if their current habitat becomes uninhabitable. Where can you get water? How will you transport it?
Survive in style!
No comments:
Post a Comment